• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds




Pay raises, new money for schools in jeopardy

Posted at 8:52 pm July 30, 2015
By John Huotari 1 Comment

Anderson County Teachers at County Commission

Roughly three-quarters of those attending the budget deliberations at Anderson County Commission on Monday, July 20, 2015, wore red—”Red for Public Ed.” Teachers thought they could be getting a 2 percent pay raise, but after a special Thursday night meeting to adopt the new tax rate, it’s not clear if that will still happen. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated with a poll at 10 a.m. July 31.

CLINTON—Pay raises for county employees and educators and new money for three school systems, including Oak Ridge’s, are in jeopardy after the Anderson County Commission rejected a property tax rate increase on Thursday.

A 10-cent rate hike had been anticipated in a budget approved by the Anderson County Commission in a 9-5-1 vote on Monday, July 20.

But the Commission failed to adopt the new higher tax rate during a follow-up meeting on Thursday, July 30. Commissioners rejected the higher rate in an 8-5 vote. Nine votes were needed for passage.

The higher tax rate was expected to help fund 2 percent pay raises for Anderson County Schools teachers and staff and county employees. It was also expected to generate another $423,000 in funding for Oak Ridge Schools and $134,000 for Clinton Schools. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Education, Education, Front Page News, Government, K-12, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Commission, Anderson County Education Association, Anderson County Schools, budget, Chuck Fritts, Jerry Creasey, Jerry White, Kelly Williams, Mark Alderson, Myron Iwanski, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Schools, pay raises, Philip Warfield, property tax rate, reappraisals, reassessments, revenue, Rick Meredith, Robert McKamey, Robin Biloski, Steve Emert, Steve Mead, tax rate, tax rate increase, tax-neutral rate, Theresa Scott, Tim Isbel, Tracy Wandell, Whitey Hitchcock, Zach Bates

City budget raises trash fee, provides more for city infrastructure

Posted at 10:31 pm July 27, 2015
By John Huotari 11 Comments

Oak Ridge City Council on July 28, 2015

The Oak Ridge City Council raised the trash pickup fee by $3.50 during a special budget meeting on Monday, July 27, 2015, and the Council set aside an extra $260,000 for capital projects such as buildings and schools. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today) 

 

Note: This story was last updated at 10:05 a.m. July 28.

There will be a $3.50 increase in the monthly trash fee, and more money—$260,000—will be reserved for capital projects such as buildings and schools, while city officials are not expected to change the new property tax rate provided by the state after five-year reappraisals completed this year.

The trash fee will increase from $7 to $10.50 per month. That change is expected to provide another $335,000 per year in revenue.

The new tax rate—state officials call it a tax-neutral rate—is $2.52 per $100 of assessed value. It was approved in the first of two readings by the Oak Ridge City Council during a three-hour special meeting on Monday. The second reading hasn’t been scheduled yet, but the meeting is expected soon. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County, Bruce Borchers, budget, capital projects, Charlie Hensley, Chuck Hope, Ellen Smith, five-year reappraisals, garbage pickup, Karen Gagliano, Kelly Callison, Main Street—Oak Ridge, Mark Watson, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Mall, Oak Ridge Schools, pay raise, property assessment, property tax rate, reappraisals, Rick Chinn, Roane County, tax increment financing, tax rate, tax rate increase, tax-neutral rate, TIF, trash fee, Trina Baughn, Warren Gooch

Tax rate increases, changes in AC, Clinton, Oliver Springs, RC, Rocky Top

Posted at 3:59 pm July 24, 2015
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Increases in the property tax rate have been approved or are anticipated in budgets that have already passed in Anderson County, Clinton, Oliver Springs, Roane County, and Rocky Top.

Those increases are in addition to the increases already expected because of a drop in overall property assessments in Anderson and Roane counties. The 4 percent drop in Anderson County and 3.47 percent decline in Roane County mean the tax-neutral rate—the rate meant to bring in the same amount of revenues after a reappraisal as before—goes up.

The highest tax increase, which includes a 6-cent change in the certified tax rate after five-year reappraisals, is 40 cents. That’s in Rocky Top, where the new tax rate is $2 per $100 of assessed value.

The lowest so far is in Anderson County, where county commissioners have approved a 10-cent increase for 2 percent pay raises for school and county employees. That’s in addition to the roughly 16-cent increase in the tax-neutral, or certified, tax rate.

Oak Ridge will be the last of those half-dozen governments to consider any changes to the tax-neutral rate. In Oak Ridge, the rate has been calculated at $2.52, up 13 cents from the current $2.39.

Oak Ridge could also be the only one of those half-dozen governments that doesn’t add a tax rate increase to this year’s higher tax-neutral rate. So far, it appears that a majority of Oak Ridge City Council members could support the $2.52 rate, although two Council members, Trina Baughn and Rick Chinn, have advocated for a reduction, possibly by two cents to $2.50.

Here is information on the increases or potential increases: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Clinton, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Oliver Springs, Roane County, Rocky Top, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County, Anderson County Commission, Anderson County Schools, budget, certified tax rate, Clinton, Gail Cook, Oak Ridge City Council, Oliver Springs, pay raises, property assessments, property tax rate, property tax rate increase, reappraisals, Roane County, Rocky Top, Ron Woody, tax rate, tax rate increases, tax-neutral rate, Tyler Mayes

AC Commission approves 10-cent tax rate increase for pay raises

Posted at 1:19 am July 21, 2015
By John Huotari 2 Comments

Rachel Minardo at Anderson County Commission

Rachel Minardo, president of the Anderson County Education Association, and others have advocated for a 4 percent pay raise for county school teachers and staff. Above, Minardo talks to the 16-member Anderson County Commission in Clinton on Monday. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 4 p.m.

CLINTON—After rejecting a few other proposals, Anderson County commissioners on Monday approved a 10-cent property tax rate increase to fund 2 percent pay raises for county employees and school teachers and staff.

The vote for the tax rate increase was 9-5-1.

Eight cents of the 10-cent increase is for Anderson County Schools, and the other two cents will cover the pay raise for county employees, with the exception of elected officials and county commissioners.

Earlier in the five-hour meeting, commissioners rejected proposals to:

  • raise the property tax rate by 10 cents for a 2 percent pay raise for the schools,
  • raise the tax rate by 5 cents for a 1 percent raise,
  • approve the school budget as submitted with no tax increase,
  • raise the property tax rate by 7.5 cents for the schools, and
  • use $1.7 million from the fund balance for a one-time bonus for schools in Anderson County, Oak Ridge, and Clinton.

Teachers said they haven’t had a pay raise since 2012, and they last received a bonus in 2013 and that was $200. They have said all the surrounding school districts except Campbell County pay more, and they want to be able to recruit and retain good teachers—and not be a training ground for other districts. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Education, Front Page News, Government, Government, K-12, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: ACEA, Anderson County Board of Education, Anderson County Commission, Anderson County Education Association, Anderson County Schools, budget, certified tax rate, Chuck Fritts, Daniel McInturff, Jerry Creasey, Jerry White, Jim Woodward, Kelly Williams, Larry Foster, Mark Alderson, Myron Iwanski, pay raises, Philip Warfield, property assessments, property tax rate, property tax rate increase, Rachel Minardo, reappraisals, Rick Meredith, Robert McKamey, Robin Biloski, Steve Emert, Steve Mead, tax rate, tax-neutral rate, Theresa Scott, Tim Isbel, Tracy Wandell, Whitey Hitchcock, Zach Bates

Anderson County teachers disappointed as commissioners delay vote on budget, pay raise

Posted at 1:10 pm June 24, 2015
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Anderson County Budget Committee and Rachel Minardo, Chris Phillips, and Connie Aytes

Rachel Minardo, right, a first-grade teacher at Claxton Elementary School and president of the Anderson County Education Association, asks for a 4 percent pay raise for county teachers and school staff during a May 28 public hearing on the county budget. Also pictured are Chris Phillips, left, director of accounts and budgets for Anderson County, and Connie Aytes, deputy budget director.

 

CLINTON—Anderson County teachers were disappointed as they watched county commissioners postpone a vote on the budget and a possible 4 percent pay raise on Tuesday.

But they’ll be back on Monday, June 29, for the next meeting of the Anderson County Commission, said Rachel Minardo, a first-grade teacher at Claxton Elementary School and president of the Anderson County Education Association.

It’s not clear if the 16-member Commission will agree to fund the school system’s request for a 4 percent raise for all teachers and staff. That’s what the Anderson County Board of Education unanimously recommended last month. The request could require the equivalent of an 18-cent increase in the property tax rate.

But during debate over proposed pay raises for some county employees on Tuesday, several commissioners said they want to be consistent and fair to all workers. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Education, Government, K-12, Top Stories Tagged With: 4 percent raise, Anderson County, Anderson County Board of Education, Anderson County Budget Committee, Anderson County Commission, Anderson County Education Association, Anderson County Schools, Bill Haslam, certified tax rate, Chris Phillips, Chuck Fritts, Claxton Elementary School, Clinton High School, Daniel McInturff, Jerry White, Larry Foster, Melanie Lamberson, Monique Berry, Norris Middle School, one-to-one devices, pay raise, property tax rate, public hearing, Rachel Minardo, reappraisals, Robin Minch, teachers, Terry Frank, Theresa Scott

Council to consider budget on Monday, Tuesday

Posted at 10:20 am June 13, 2015
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

They postponed a budget vote for one week, and the Oak Ridge City Council on Monday and Tuesday will resume those discussions. So far, the debate has included calls to raise the property tax rate to fund certain programs and other recommendations to keep the rate unchanged—or even lower it.

The budget will be discussed during a non-voting work session at 5 p.m. Monday, June 15, in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Training Room. The Council could then vote on it in the first of two readings this month during a 7 p.m. meeting in the Municipal Building Courtroom.

Council will then discuss the budget in a second work session at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 16, in the Multipurpose Room at the Central Services Complex on Woodbury Lane. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Meetings and Events, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: budget, Central Services Complex, Mark Watson, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Municipal Building, Oak Ridge Schools, pay raise, property assessments, property tax rate, property values, reappraisals, Rick Chinn, Roane County, salaries, sales tax revenues, tax rate, Trina Baughn, work session

Council defers budget vote to Monday, June 15

Posted at 8:04 am June 9, 2015
By John Huotari 1 Comment

Warren Gooch

Warren Gooch

Note: This story was updated at 8:51 a.m.

It’s still not clear how property reappraisals in Roane County will affect the Oak Ridge property tax rate, so the City Council on Monday deferred a vote on the budget until Monday, June 15.

Council had been scheduled to consider the budget in the first of two readings on Monday (June 8). Council was expected to consider the budget on second and final reading on June 15.

But the five-year property reappraisals in Roane County are not yet complete, and it’s not clear when they will be. Officials said property assessments there are likely to go down as they have in Anderson County, where they’ve fallen 4 percent.

An overall drop in property values could require an increase in the tax rate because the revenues after the reappraisals have to remain the same as they were before. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Roane County, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County, budget, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Schools, pay raise, property assessments, property tax rate, reappraisals, Roane County, tax increase, tax rate, Warren Gooch

City proposes one-cent tax rate increase; schools’ request would add seven

Posted at 9:03 pm June 1, 2015
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Mark Watson

Mark Watson

Note: This story was last updated at 3:18 a.m. June 2.

The budget proposed by the Oak Ridge city staff on Monday includes a one-cent increase in the property tax rate. It would help maintain city services and allow for a 2 percent pay raise for city employees, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson told City Council members.

Meanwhile, the budget proposed by Oak Ridge Schools asks for the equivalent of a seven-cent tax increase. It would help cover a deficit and add money for salaries and staff, including a 3 percent pay raise. That budget has already been approved by the Oak Ridge Board of Education.

The two requests total eight cents. They were presented to the Oak Ridge City Council on Monday.

It’s not clear yet if the seven-member City Council will agree to any increases for the city or schools. The Council will consider the budget in the first of two readings on Monday, June 8, and on second and final reading on Monday, June 15. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, Government, K-12, Meetings and Events, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County, budget, certified tax rate, general fund, Keys Fillauer, Mark Watson, municipal budget, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau, pay raises, property assessment, property tax rate, Ray Evans, reappraisals, Roane County, rowing course, sales taxes, schools budget, Steve Jones, tax rate increase

City, schools to present budgets to Council today

Posted at 9:16 am June 1, 2015
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Mark Watson

Mark Watson

Note: This story was updated at 9:23 a.m.

The municipal and school budgets will be presented to the Oak Ridge City Council during a meeting this evening (Monday, June 1).

The municipal budget will be presented by Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson. The schools budget will be presented by Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. today in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom at 200 South Tulane Avenue. See the agenda here.

City officials have been striving to present a budget that does not include a property tax rate increase. But it wasn’t clear as of last week if that would be possible because of a dramatic drop in sales tax revenues from the Roane County portion of the city. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, Front Page News, Government, K-12, Meetings and Events, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County, Anderson County Commission, Bruce Borchers, budget, certified tax rate, Clinton, John K. Alley Jr., Mark Watson, municipal budget, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Municipal Building, pay raises, property assessments, property tax rate, reappraisals, Roane County, Roane County Commission, school budget, tax rate increase

Gooch: Main Street No. 1 priority, gives updates on National Park, reappraisals, airport

Posted at 1:08 am May 6, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Main Street Oak Ridge Site Plan April 16, 2015

Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch on Tuesday said his number one priority for the community is the successful development of Main Street Oak Ridge, which would redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall. Pictured above is a cropped picture of the Main Street Oak Ridge site plan as of April 16. A link to a larger PDF version of the plan is included in the story below.

 

Note: Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch gave an update on positive developments and challenges during a talk to the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge on Tuesday, May 5. Here is a lightly edited version of his remarks, which organized the positive developments and challenges into sections. Gooch was appointed mayor by the seven-member Oak Ridge City Council on November 24. This is his first four-year term on the City Council.

It is a distinct privilege for me to serve as your mayor, but I always preface my remarks by saying that I am not speaking today for Council or for the city manager. I have one vote on Council, but I do consider myself to be the chairman of the board of directors for the city.

In that capacity, as I enter my sixth month of service as mayor, I want to share my thoughts about positive developments in our city, discuss near-term challenges that we face, share the results that I have from the community survey that I have been conducting, and leave time for your questions and comments.

First. My number one priority for our community is the successful development of Main Street Oak Ridge (which would redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall), and it is moving forward. Last week, Crosland Southeast announced that MDC Development Group of Atlanta will be the hotel developer for the project. MDC is also a major developer in the senior housing industry and 15 months ago opened Canterfield Oak Ridge Assisted Living. It has been very successful and well-received in our community.

I was advised yesterday (Monday, May 4) that the retail leasing component of the Main Street project is moving forward, as are the negotiations with a developer for the multi-family housing component of the Main Street project. Groundbreaking and demolition for Main Street is on schedule to begin by June 30. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Business, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Slider Tagged With: 3-D printing, additive manufacturing, advanced composite, alloys, Anderson County, Board of Education, Bruce Borchers, budget, Carl Kalbacher, Cassius Cash, challenges, community impact assessment, Crosland Southeast, CVMR, demolition, DOE, Environmental Management Disposal Facility, graphene, Great Smoky Mountains Park Commission, groundbreaking, hotel, Jackson Square, Jim Akagi, K-25 site, League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, Main Street—Oak Ridge, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, mayor, MDC, MDC development group, metal powders, metallurgy, Mike Hargett, Municipal Technical Advisory Service, national park, National Park Service, NPS, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge airport, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Mall, Oak Ridge Police Department, ORPD, positive developments, Powerhouse Six Solar One Megawatt Array, preschool, property tax rate, property values, reappraisals, review, Roane County, The Ferguson Group, U.S. Department of Energy, Warren Gooch

AC committee to discuss 2020 reappraisals, volunteer fire department funding

Posted at 10:47 am March 9, 2015
By John Huotari 1 Comment

Johnny Alley

Johnny Alley

The Anderson County Operations Committee will discuss a plan for reappraisals in 2020 and a new funding plan for volunteer fire departments during a Monday evening meeting.

The discussion of the 2020 reappraisal plan has been requested by Anderson County Property Assessor John K. Alley Jr.

A Fire Commission proposal related to the new funding plan for volunteer fire departments has been requested by Anderson County Commissioner Tim Isbel.

The Operations Committee meeting starts at 6 p.m. Monday, March 9, in Room 312 of the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton.

See the agenda here.

Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Front Page News, Government, Meetings and Events, Police and Fire Tagged With: Anderson County Operations Committee, Fire Commission, funding, John K. Alley Jr., property assessor, reappraisals, Tim Isbel, volunteer fire departments

Search Oak Ridge Today

Classifieds

Public notice: Draft environmental assessment for Y-12 Development Organization at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

Public Notice: Final environmental assessment available for Lithium Processing Facility at Y-12

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE LITHIUM PROCESSING FACILITY AT THE Y-12 … [Read More...]

Public Notice: Comment period extended for Draft EA for Lithium Processing Facility at Y-12

EXTENSION OF THE COMMENT PERIOD FOR THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE LITHIUM PROCESSING … [Read More...]

Recent Posts

  • Virtual talks on Weinberg and his archived papers on Apr. 20
  • ORAU receives new work from CDC Office of Minority Health and Health Equity to support COVID-19 communications efforts
  • One person flown to hospital, in critical condition after rollover crash
  • ASAP has Virtual Information and Resource Fair
  • Man wanted in Ohio hides in Oak Ridge church, but K-9 finds him
  • Governor authorizes $10,000 reward in Thomas Thrasher death investigation
  • Man pursued by police runs into church, taken into custody
  • Public notice: Draft environmental assessment for Y-12 Development Organization at Horizon Center
  • Public Notice: Final environmental assessment available for Lithium Processing Facility at Y-12
  • THP report: Child hit by pickup walked into travel lane
A Twitter List by OakRidgeToday

Recent Comments

  • Matt Bailey on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Mark Caldwell on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Matt Bailey on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Mark Caldwell on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Matt Bailey on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Tracy Powers on Planning Commission to consider Main Street apartments, plan revisions
  • johnhuotari on Four incumbents re-elected to Oak Ridge City Council
  • Levi D. Smith on Four incumbents re-elected to Oak Ridge City Council
  • samuel hopwood on Housing: Apartments proposed on former AMSE site
  • Matt Bailey on Robin Smith named Oak Ridge police chief

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2021 Oak Ridge Today